Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Brisket is one of those things that every Texan eats and every Texan has a definitive recipe on how to cook it.

We smoke it, we braise it, we roast it and we bake it. But no matter how we prepare it, the toughness of the cut insures that the procedure will be low and slow, which means that it will cook at a low temperature for a very, very long time.

For me, brisket was always a Sunday treat. When I still lived in Dallas, after church we’d go over to my grandparents’ house in Oak Cliff and we’d have a Sunday dinner of brisket that had been slow cooked with carrots, potatoes and onions. Or sometimes, to jazz it up, it would have been slow baked in a tangy barbecue sauce. It was always good.

As I grew older, I learned that the choice cut at a Texas barbecue is the brisket—silky and moist, seasoned with ample salt, pepper and smoke. I love both types of briskets, but have been successful in only recreating one type here in my tiny New York City apartment. And even though Mark Bittman wrote in last Sunday’s Times that when it comes to your kitchen, size doesn’t matter, I do think that my stovetop smoker is limited to smaller, quicker cuts of meat rather than a brisket.
The briskets you buy in Texas are usually what is known as a packer cut—this means that it’s the full chest muscle (yes, brisket is bovine breast meat) and it’s usually covered in a generous layer of fat and weighs anywhere from seven to 11 pounds. In New York, however, they usually sell these sad little one-pound specimens, completely trimmed and shrink-wrapped onto a yellow Styrofoam tray.

If you beg your butcher, however, you’re likely to get a generous piece of meat still covered in fat—and this is what you want if you’re going to cook a brisket as the fat imparts all sorts of flavor and juice to this tough piece of meat.

I have received countless e-mails from y’all, my dear readers, sharing your brisket recipes. And when I was experimenting with how I wanted to make my brisket, I ended up trying quite a few. I think the common theme in all is Worcestershire sauce, along with a generous dose of liquid smoke. The liquid smoke won’t fool anyone, but I like the layer of flavor it adds.

Here is my oven-baked brisket. It’s the kind of thing you can throw together and then forget about for a few hours, which I love during this busy time of year. I’m sure it would be even better if I marinated it overnight or cured the meat with the rub, but I find that as long as I’m cooking it low and slow, it turns out tender and tasty every time.

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.
2. Mix together the salt, black pepper, cayenne and crushed garlic, and rub all over your brisket (more heavily on the meatier side but also a bit on the fat side as well). Allow the brisket to come to room temperature.
3. In a large roasting pan, add the slivered onions, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup of the liquid smoke, 1/4 cup black coffee, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and half the sliced jalapenos.
4. Place the brisket in the pan, fat side up, and sprinkle the remaining jalapenos on top of the brisket.
5. Cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake in the oven for four hours. At this point, if you want a more pronounced smoky taste, pour another 1/4 cup of the liquid smoke over the brisket. Otherwise, just continue cooking for another hour, or roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes per pound.
6. Take the brisket out of the oven, and it should be tender to the touch. Let it sit out of the pan for half an hour, and then trim the fat on top and slice against the grain. If you desire a gravy, they pan juice is a fine, fine topping.

92 comments:

Do you ever have trouble with a dry brisket? I cooked one two weeks ago and was disappointed by how dry it was (even though it had a nice layer of fat on top and I braised in red wine and beef broth for hours). I thought maybe I needed a brisket with better marbling, but your photo looks just like the one I cooked. I want to like brisket, it looks so fantastic!

I, too love brisket.I cooked one a couple of weeks ago that was similar to your recipe, but mine didn't have coffee or jalapeno peppers!I imagine the flavor is even better with these additions.I love your site!

Liquid smoke gets a bad rap with meat purists, but if you really hanker for the flavour, it does the trick.

I sometimes rub Montreal Steak spice on a brisket or inside round roast, toss in a bottle of beer and cook slowly like you do. Did you know Schwartz's Hebrew Deli in Montreal invented Montreal Steak Spice ? It served as the spice/pickling mixture they used to brine their brisket in to make Montreal Smoked meat . I guess they found it worked well with grilled meats. Thought you might like to know.

At this time of year I love things that you cook all day. I have never in my life cooked brisket and this is yet another thing i'm going to have to rectify. (There are SO MANY things I've never cooked that I need to begin making -- or at least make once.)

This is prefect in timing! My husband and I were just discussing the need to get some real brisket from Joe Allen's if we can make it to Abilene this Christmas. We sadly miss real barbecue here in North Carolina, where Lexington bbq just doesn't cut it. I'll have to make this the next time we need a real brisket fix!

new york briskets seem to be cut tiny for jewish family nights and not for texas bbqs. two sides of the same beef, i guess.

my grandma's way to do brisket (she's southern but not texan) is to boil the brisket in a big ass pot for maybe an hour, depending on size. then take it out, and put it on the oven on a low temp for a long time, then slice it up and cover it in sauce or marinade and cook it for more time on low until it melts in your mouth. she says the boiling keeps it juicy when you can't use a smoker and i do agree that when i've made it it's been super juicy.

I'm so excited about trying this. Thanks for the recipe (and your diligent efforts in perfecting it). And thanks for the reminder about liquid smoke. I need to pick up a very large bottle (or two!) when I'm back in Texas next week.

I guess my mistake has been trying to find brisket at a mass supermarket chain. I'm in north jersey, about 45 mins-an hour from the city by car. Originally from San Antonio.

Every time I've tried to find a cut of brisket, it's already been peppercorned, in the Jewish preparation. I will definitely be going to the local butcher and asking for a packer cut of brisket!

My brother in law is famous for his smoked brisket. He marinates it the day before in anything and everything he can find in the kitchen - Worcestershire sauce, French's Mustard, salt, pepper, lawry's seasoning, garlic, and a little pickle juice.

Then it's low and slow on his smoker for at least 6 hours (he has one of those huge smokers in his back yard). OMG. It's 7:40 in the morning, and my mouth is watering.

This is almost identical to my mother-in-law's recipe. She always cooks up leftover potatoes and carrots in the pot too. This scores low on presentation as they are rendered to mush, but they taste divine! My Husband's father was born and raised in Oak Cliff and was a career fireman there too. They still live in the area and we spend many a weekend walking memory lane in the Cliff. Do you ever go back to visit? If so you must try La Calle Doce. www.lacalledoce-dallas.com I was just there so have its fresh on my taste buds.

Phoo-D—I find that if you add enough liquid and cook it at a low enough heat it always turns out tender and moist. The key is to cook it long enough for the tough muscle to break down. Also, I keep the foil sealed tightly too to keep in the liquid.

Lynda—I don’t know if the coffee really does anything, it just feels Texan but the jalapenos definitely add heat!

Jerry—Do you have a Whole Foods near you? That’s where I got mine.

Tommy—I’ve never even heard of Montreal Steak Spice (I know, how provincial of me!) I’ll have to find some!

Rooth—You’re very welcome. I’m so happy they’ve worked for y’all!

Lauren—Don’t be afraid—it’s simple!

Allie—We love our brisket!

Greg—I’d love to have a backyard so I could do some proper smoking. Hope you get your new smoker!

Terry—I agree, I much prefer brisket smoked but since I don’t have a proper smoker I have to use the oven instead. And thanks for the kind words! It’s readers like you who make doing this blog SUCH a pleasure!

Julie—I hear you! I tend to make the same things over and over but life’s just too short for that.

Heidi—Can’t go wrong with a big chunk of meat!

Gena—They’re all about the pig in NC, right? And that’s just not the same!

Crystal—Ah, I’ll have to try boiling it! Thanks for the tip!

CityMama—I serve it with mashed potatoes or cole slaw or even just a pile of pickles. I also like to slice it and stuff it into a flour tortilla. Just a Plane Ride Away—Did you know that Colgin makes a pecan liquid smoke now besides the regular hickory? I can’t wait to get my hands on some of that—a real taste of the Hill Country!

Amber—I got mine at Whole Foods, but had to ask the butcher to give me one that hadn’t been trimmed. And mustard is another awesome rub ingredient—thanks for reminding me!

Saucymomma—Yep, those slow cooked potatoes and carrots that have been simmering in the beef juice for hours are always a treat! I haven’t been back to Oak Cliff in years, but next time I’m there I’ll definitely try La Calle Doce.

Maggie—I know—meat is so expensive now I only eat it once a week or so.

Hallie—Thank you and have fun in Dallas! When you're there, you can start a blog called Homesick New Englander!

I grew up on brisket cooked in the oven. My dad always cooked the brisket in our house.He said my mom didnt have the patience. Nowmy sweetie cooks the brisket on a homemadebbq grill. I love the smoky taste of the grilled but I love brisket no matter how it'scooked. Here in central Texas, good brisket iseasy to find. We have 3 good bbq restaurantsin Stephenville.

Thank you for this brisket blog!One thing I do- and I learned this from a cousin who is known for his brisket- is rub it generously with mustard and add the spices--but an important spice he told me to add and add generously is paprika to "seal everything in and give it a great color"---

I love your blog!!! I've tried several of your recipes and have them all printed... I will get to all of them eventually! I'm a Fort Worth gal born and raised and brisket is a way of life! Can't wait to give this one a go!!! Merry Christmas and God bless you!

Phoo-DWhen I do a brisket in the oven, I've found that if I put it in one of those oven roasting bags that it stays very moist (and also makes its own fabulous gravy.) My favorite, 'tho, is to smoke it long and slow over some mesquite. Yum...When we moved to MD from Texas (after 20 years down there) my quest was on to find packer briskets. We had been used to paying 49 cents a pound at Fiesta Market in Clear Lake. Finally found a source up here but they charged 3.49/lb!!!! Far cry from the inexpensive meal that fed a crowd...but still worth the effort. On our infrequent trips back to Houston, we've taken to bringing frozen briskets home in our luggage (haven't done that since 911 however...don't know how it would fly with the new TSA regs.) This is from the family that also brought home Blue Bell White Chocolate Almond Ice Cream in our luggage. Dry ice really worked! What we do for food! Oh my!Lisa 2 (another homesick Texan) from MD

Hi, Lisa I'm Lisa from Fort Worth!We always cooked our brisket in onions and coffee. Yes, coffee. Use a big roaster and an oven turkey baking bake. Slice up two big onions, brew a pot of strong black coffee, generously coat your brisket with black pepper, salt, and seasoning salt then top with the sliced onions and pour the cofee over all. Bake over night if possible in a 225-250 degree oven. Easy for a huge crowd, and if you chop up the left overs and add bbq sauce you have great bbq beef sandwiches all week!!

It may be heresy, but as far as a baked brisket goes, I like my mom's version. She trims off all of the fat, covers it with a bottle of Italian dressing, a healthy dosage of Worcestershire sauce, covers it in foil, and cooks it at 250-300 for the whole day. We eat it with fresh flour tortillas and sometimes some sour cream. It's delicious.

Hi! YUM! Perfect timing - briscuit's on sale this week at HEB. When I don't have much prep time I cook it in my crock pot on low for 8-10 hours covered with a can of Dr Pepper and a cup of whatever bottled BBQ sauce I have around. To eat it, we chop it and serve it with more jalapenos, pickles and onions. BTW...I'll have to look around your blog. Do you make your own BBQ sauce? Have you ever canned your own?

It's been hard to find whole Cryovac-ed briskets in Illinois and in Virginia. I have resorted to using shoulder cloda, which are easier to obtain, albeit less fatty. And they are also larger- they run 15 to 20 pounds, but I can fit two on my smoker... haven't done it in a long time, though.

We moved to Minnesota from Texas in 2002, set up another ranch here. The yearly Hat Creek Ranch Party draws hundreds of friends, neighbors to enjoy western cooking, live music, and good visitation. People here in MN had no clue what brisket was or which part of the cow it came from. We keep a large supply of mesquite wood just for smoking meat on the grill. I miss Texas terribly, but it's great fun cooking for people that have never had a chance to experience. I will keep your recipe and try it after we thaw out, about May I figure.

Yum yum yum....you really are making me homesick now! I grew up outside of Houston and LOVED bbq. Living in Chicago since 1998, the bbq just isn't the same. I have been so desperate for brisket that my grandmother overnighted one to me, complete with a bottle of homemade sauce.

Love your blog. We've been misplaced from Texas in VA for 17 years. When our 5 now grown kids were all here in Oct brisket was naturally our big meal of choice. Our middle daughter is a chef in the local Clyde's restaurant chain and she bought a HUGE, honking brisket that nearly wouldn't fit in the fridge. We had the biggest argument since she was a teen. She wanted to lay that brisket across a rack in my oven without a pan and just let her drip!!! I absolutely refused and found my largest pan and the brisket had to be slightly doubled over. She had a secret rub (her sous chef won't tell her what's in it). Her gravy was divine. But, I love a brisket cooked with liquid smoke, celery salt, fresh garlic and sliced onions and tightly wrapped in foil. It's hard to ruin brisket. LJ

Well I can honestly say we've never put coffee in it before! Hmmm...very interesting.

My dh always smokes it in his pit with mesquite wood that we haul back to Georgia every time we go home. He usually marinates it in italian dressing and brisket rub and then sops it with butter, vinegar, and beer while it cooks.

After several hours of smoking it, he usually wraps it in foil to maintain the juices and continue to cook all the way through.

I can't say I've every cooked one in the oven before. But if I was going to do one, yours would be it. :-)

hi there and merry christmas! we made your brisket here in toronto today in the middle of a BIG snowstorm and thank you it was delicious and made us forget that snow was accumulating in the driveway in record centimeters.

We always made ours in a turkey bag when forced to cook one in the oven! Just salt, pepper, worstecshire (sp??) and an entire bottle of liquid smoke. Like you said wouldn't fool anyone, but still delicious!

I rarely eat beef and the last time I did, it disagreed with me (homemade short ribs), BUT I do appreciate a good cut of beef and will often steal bites from my dinner companions if they allow me.

However, a couple of months ago I was with a friend at Chevy's Tex Mex and couldn't get the idea of brisket out of my head. So I ordered the platter. Ignored the tortillas, beans and rice - just ate the beef, the pico de gallo, the guacamole, and the salad. It was yummy and one of the few times I've eaten beef and not felt any side effects.

I grew up in Texas and I remember one x-mas in the first home I bought, I had a party. And at that party I made baked brisket and set up all the fix'ens for brisket sandwiches, Texas style. Huge hamburger buns, mustard, pickles, onions, pickled jalapenos, and BBQ sauce. Now to me, that's x-mas in Texas!

I use a Weber smoky mountain cooker with the "minion method" for starting the charcoal, and I use lump charcoal. I also use Oak wood for the smoke with a tiny bit of mesquite.

You can get a 12-18 hour cook at 225 with one batch of charcoal, and I use a DigiQ II bbq system that is only about the size of a deck of cards. It does just two things, monitor pit and meat temperature, and run a small blower fan that runs one of the bottom vent holes. It will power the fan off and on, and increase and lower the speed. You shut the other two off, and leave the top one open. I also use a large terra cotta saucer wrapped in heavy duty foil as a heat sink.

I tend to either cook it slow and low at 255 - the computer / weber can keep precisely to that cook temp for the entire cook time with minimal to no intervention. Very easy.

A brisket with spices on it is corned beef, and not suitable for what you want since it's brined in salt. You can always ask the butcher for a "big brisket" an uncut piece of meat. If he doesn't have it, ask when he will. His next delivery should be no more than a few days away.You can especially in NYC go down to the wholesalers and pay cash and get a brisket at probablly the cheapest price. I have a client who has a store and when I want a special big piece of meat I ask him to get it. You too can make friends with a butcher and have him et you the packer piece of meat.Your recipe sounds delish and I'll have to try it.

Now I'm lusting after brisket. By the way Jewish style is with the veggies, covered and slow cooked. Only the spices differ. We don't use hot peppers, coffee or liquid smoke. everything else is fair game. but I'm willing to try this

Merry Christmas from West Texas! In our little town, no big family feast would be complete without several HUGE briskets that have been slow smoked on the HUGE smokers that the guys would have been tending all night, with several 12 packs for company! You'll have to come down to Rankin for the World Championship Barbados Cook-off for some of the BEST Brisket, Fajitas, and Barbados you'll ever find! Always Memorial Day Weekend and always TONS of great barbecue! Might have to use your recipe for brisket and see if it wins First Place!

Whenever I am back in Texas from North Georgia, I always try to pick up Claude's Brisket Sauce in the grocery store by the BBQ sauces. Pour it over the top and cook it in the oven low and slow. Reminds me of home! Thank you for the recipes!

I'm an Australian who's been to Austin a few times, and have yet to find anywhere over here at sells brisket. So, this weekend I'm going to give this recipe a go for a bunch of friends - I need to convince them that Texas BBQ is FANTASTIC!

I am an old male Texican that has cooked hundreds of briskets using many methods. I am in the process of cooking a 17 pound brisket as I post this comment. I now cook all my briskets in the oven. I always buy the cheapest ones with the most fat- they always end up tasting better. The smallest good untrimmed brisket you will find here in Texas will be 8 pounds plus and will usually cost about $.99 to $1.49 per pound- I advise buying one that weighs at least 12 pounds. I also spend about $3 for an aluminum baking pan which I completely seal with foil. Here is a tip I use to get that genuine smoky flavor. This only works if you have an outside BBQ grill.

Start your grill using regular charcoals. After they burn down and turn gray- add some wood chunks that have been soaked for about 30 minutes- mesquite, hickory, oak, pine, or pecan- I prefer hickory. Put down at least a triple layer of foil, after you have added your dry rub, put the brisket fat side down on the foil, cover, and smoke for about 30 minutes. The heat factor should be low. The lower the heat- and more smoke- the better. Remove your brisket and continue to cook per this recipe.

The best way to cook brisket in a small place is to use your crockpot as a smoker, then you don't need the liquid smoke and the low and slow is built right in.

Here's how:Soak your wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes, and drain the water.Spread out a good-sized length of parchment paper on the counter, and put the wood chips inside.Fold over the edges of the paper to enclose the wood chips and make a packet, similar to a foil packet (I was worried foil would rust), that fits inside your crockpot completely.Put it in.With scissors, cut teeny tiny holes here and there in the top level of the parchment paper to let smoky steam escape. Rub all sides of your meat with spice rub. Put it in the crockpot, directly on top of the parchment paper packet.Cover with whatever liquid you are going to use. I stick with water. Put the lid on and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

My BIL is a master cajun cook and transplanted Texan. I use his recipe--heavy on the Fiesta Fajita Seasoning with just a little Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning for kick. Wrap the brisket in several layers of foil to preserve the juices and bake about 3hours on 250* with an hour on the bbq outside either to begin or end. That gives the real smoke flavor and pink smoke ring.

I love brisket and I'm a native Northwesterner, too. Sometime, if you are in the mood to tinker with your rub a bit, try adding some Jamaican allspice. Use plain Jamaican Allspice, not the Jamaican jerk rubs which contain the way too hot Scotch Bonnet peppers. I find it adds a spicy sweet layer of flavor that I find much more preferable to Worcestershire (which I associate with Yankee Pot Roasts and meatloaf).

My cousins in Chico, Tx share this recipe--it rocks! Wrap your brisket tightly in heavy duty aluminum foil. Place that in a pan, being sure your brisket is resting fat side up. Oven bake 175 degrees for 12 hours. Open the packet and slice the brisket on the diagonal and put it back in the pan. Pour your fave bbq sauce into--between--the slices and onto the top of all. Cover pan with foil and put it back into the oven for an hour or so. And you read this right--no seasonings. Just brisket, heavy duty aluminum foil (there is some family debate as to whether the shiny side goes inside or outside, but it's largely academic) and your fave bbq sauce. Amazing results. And a little background--many years ago, I was a technical writer at NASA. We had a friendly brisket cookoff and all the grilling, rubbing, basting, marinating and fussing were beat out by an oven brisket! Go figure.....

I just found your blog today and I love it! So many recipes and memories from Texas. I was born and rared there and am presently stuck in Ohio. Moved back to Texas after my father passed away and the closer I got to Texas (we drove) the better the food got. I put on a lot of weight moving back. I cried when I read the blog about Luby's and really wanted the recipe for liver and onions. Thank you soooo very much for that recipe. And now, I have found all the other recipes I have been dying for. Really love your blog. Saved my life. I also, miss slurpees from 7-elevens. I just found out about a week ago that I missed out on aluminum straws that were given out free with the slurpees and are now being sold on ebay for $40.00 for 6. I wrote 7-eleven and cried as I wrote to them as well. No one here in Ohio understands me and the things I miss about Texas. Brisket is the best and so many ways to make it. I made it recently for my husbands uncle and he loved it. Slow cooked it in the oven. Both my husband and his family are Ohioans. They have never had food like I make and my husband says that I cook too fancy. (What ever that means. It is just home cooking to me.) Once again, Thank you so much! If y'all are every in my neck of the woods, come chow down with us. It would be alot of fun cooking together and then eating together. Do you still have your Texas draw? LOL. I don't, they made too much fun of me and sometimes so do. Pamela Spears also a homesick Texan.

2 tablespoon of black pepper is way too much...I'm sorry, but I just made this and pepper is all I can taste. Whether you allow this comment to be posted or not, just...woah. Next time I'll try it the same but with much, much less black pepper.

Ok, so I'm not a Texan and you may not like the way I cook my brisket...I'm an Okie. This is my all time FAVORITE brisket and everyone that's had it falls in love with it and I get phone calls and emails all the time asking for the recipe. I just cut a brisket in 1/2 and put it in an oven bag (like a turkey one) and pour in a bottle of Italian dressing and then the other 1/2 I put in another bag and just add part of a bottle of Head Coutry BBQ sauce, cook in oven for 4-5 hrs on 350 degrees and they come out perfect every single time and it's easy and super simple and clean up is a breeze!

I made it and loved it! Being a native Texan I was skeptical about the oven brisket but then our smoker broke and I had to do something. I skipped the coffee and peppers and it still came out great :) My brisket had a lot of fat and that is the key to keeping it moist, well that and slow cooking.

Tried your red posole recipe and LOVED IT. Tried your brisket recipe and LOVED IT. I followed your recipe but cooked mine outdoors in my bbq pit. I used lots of mesquite and it came out delicious. So tender and tasty. Can't wait to cook this for my family from Robstown, TX. Everyone says my brother makes the best brisket but I am sure mine will be the best. Thank you so much.

I tried this recipe yesterday because it's very similar to my family's with just a few tweaks. The dry rub, onions, liquid smoke, etc is right on. However, I cooked mine fat-side up just like you suggested and it was one of the toughest briskets I have ever made. I was skeptical of doing it this way, but thought I would give it a try. And I see a few other posts on here that people tried the recipe and had a dry brisket. You should always cook a brisket fat side down in the oven.. that is what makes it tender.. and you should never end up with a dry brisket. You may have to drain the juice a few times while it's cooking depending on how large your roasting pan is (so keep an eye on it). My suggestion is to follow this recipe exactly - but always fat side down! - And yes, I'm a Texan.

I made this brisket and it was absolutely perfect. I too am a homesick Texan and this brisket made me feel like I was back home. I served it with soft white bread, bbq sauce, sliced onions, and pickles. YUMMMMMMMMM!

I am cooking three 12 lb. briskets using this recipe for some bands that I am going to see. I ran into a problem with the fact that brisket is almost impossible to find here in NW pennsylvania! I ordered them saturday and they were supposed to be in this afternoon (monday) but didn't make it in and won't be in until around 2 p.m. tomorrow (tuesday). I am needing these cooked by wednesday noonish/early afternoon. Does anyone have suggestions for cooking times for cooking all 3 in the oven at once?

We live in Houston, Tx and have eaten a great many briskets, this is by far the best I've ever eaten.Super easy, moist and has a little kick! I cooked 3 briskets at one time using a my largest roasting pan, came out perfectly, roasted as per original recipe.

I was looking for a brisket recipe and immediately came to your blog. I'm in Texas, so I knew you'd have something good. Just made it this past weekened, and I have to say OMG, it was one of the best briskets I've ever had. My partner said it tasted like a brisket from a restaurant. Thanks so much! When we get our farm up and running, http://twomenandalittlefarm.blogspot.com this will have to be one of our must have recipes for when company comes over.

I have been in Texas 3 years and have yet to cook a brisket until I found your recipe. It was awesome and will be using it again! The brisket was a hit at my dinner party!! Thanks for all of the great recipes and I love your blog!

My husband informed me on 11/16 that though he had made a financial contribution to his office Thanksgiving party, he was asked to bring a brisket today because the employee who normally prepares it would not be in attendance. I went out yesterday and found a 12 pound brisket and decided to try this recipe. I considered tripling the ingredients; however, decided to use the same amounts given for the 4 pound brisket. I was a bit nervous because it took several hours before any aroma was wafting through the house (I guess because of the low temperature); however, once it started....the aroma was heavenly. I put it on around 1pm and around 2am, I got up and trimmed the fat off the top. I then added the rest of the liquid smoke, sprinkled a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne and a few more fresh jalapenos, covered it again and let it cook until 4:30am. I let it rest for an hour and then sliced it and arranged it in the pan. Now let me tell you, I grew up with a grandmother who cooked EVERYTHING from scratch and I often brag about how we could eat her brisket with a fork and how it melted in our mouth. We lost her in 2004, but if she was still here, I believe that I would have to challenge her to a brisket cook-off!!!!! My husband and I had the most tender, succulent and flavorful brisket with our coffee this morning. I looked at 10 recipes yesterday and went with this one (mainly because of the mention of Oak Cliff) and I'm glad that I did. If this recipe doesn't work for you, chalk it up to user error because this is fail safe. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!

I VERY rarely cook a new recipe without mentally tweaking it afterwards and I can tell you, I would not change a THING. This was BEYOND perfection. I agree with the last comment. About 2 hours in, I ran up to see if my oven was on because I smelled nothing, then 3.5 hours later....OH MY.I DID however cook the whole thing in a foil "satchel" in the pan.Followed all the directions, but wrapped ALL the food in a tight foil bag. I just always do roasts that way and couldn't seem to change my way. This was amazing. Thank you! Off to read the rest of this blog!

Your recipe turned out increadible! My husband loved it and so did my brother and sister-in-law. I didn't have cayanne pepper, so I used crushed red pepper instead, and it turned out increadibly good. Will definately make this recipe again. I was suprised how moist the brisket turned out -- my piece of meat didn't really have that much fat on it, but that didn't seem to matter - it was awesome.

I have one in the oven that is going at 220 and will be in for about 8-10 hours. I marinated it for 30 hours with worcestershire, garlic, a whole finely puréed white onion, mesquite liquid smoke, brown sugar and a very healthy dose of Tapatio hot sauce. Probably about 2 cups of tapatio. The brisket is about 11 lbs. This is my standard way to cook it and it always turns out amazing!!

Hi, so glad I found your website and tried your brisket recipe...this is my first time cooking a brisket and it was a hit! My husband thought we'd get to bring some home from the party but not a chance. I used crushed red pepper & only used 5 peppers for 15lbs of meat... I tripled recipe, just the right amount of heat. Really moist! Thanks for sharing your recipe...this one is definitely a keeper. Looking forward to trying your other recipes.

Thank you so much for this contribution to mine and my family's tastebuds. This is the best (nonsmoked,grilled) brisket I've ever encountered AND I STILL LIVE IN TEXAS! The only caveat is having to admit that its not my own. Thanks again.Demetrio El Paso, Texas

Made this for Labor Day weekend , we had friends come down from Oklahoma . It was a BIG hit !! , I had a 8 lb Briskit , doubled the spices , and increased the liquids by 1/4 cup , Thank you for a great recipe , I will make it again !!KRamseyTom Bean Tx .

HELP!!! After three hours of cooking in the oven, I noticed that your recipe says 250 and not 350 degrees! Have I ruined it and made it tough? It is still cooking and I have lowered the temperature. Feedback please!

Made this today for Super Bowl festivities tomorrow. Fabulous! I was afraid the 1/4 c smoke would be too much, but it's completely delicious! Really appreciated the recipe, it gave me confidence to crank the oven low and leave it. I had two briskets, 5 3/4 lbs each, which I set on rimmed baking sheets lined w parchment paper and sealed w aluminum foil. 5 1/2 hrs later, they're both perfect. Thank you and yum!